Bateman grew up with two younger sisters in Lees, Oldham. Her father worked in the sheet metal industry, installing ductwork; her mother worked for the same company in the payroll department. When both parents lost their jobs, her father started a new business of his own, which foundered when clients were unable to pay. Her mother worked several jobs, and the family struggled to pay its debts. Bateman's parents divorced when she was 14 years old, and their economic straits worsened. Her sisters dropped out of school, and one became pregnant as a teenager. Bateman attributes her interest in economics to witnessing first-hand the effects of the boom-bust cycle and economic disparity. With the encouragement of her father and a history teacher, she studied economics at Cambridge as an undergraduate, followed by master's degrees in economics and economic history and a doctoral degree in economics at Oxford.
Research
Bateman's academic research focuses on economic history. Her 2019 book The Sex Factor: How Women Made the West Rich argues that women's rights and freedoms were a key factor enabling the industrial and economic development of the West, by boosting wages, skills, saving and entrepreneurial spirit, and helping to produce a democratic and capable state. Her earlier work focused on the role of markets in economic development in Europe. Her paper The evolution of markets in early modern Europe, 1350–1800: a study of wheat prices uses data on European wheat prices to study trends in market development from the early medieval period to the industrial revolution, demonstrating that markets were as well-integrated across Europe in the early 16th century as they were in the late 19th century. Her book Markets and growth in early modern Europe builds on this research, examining several aspects of the relationship between market integration and economic development.
Feminism and protest
Bateman identifies as a feminist, and writes: "I believe passionately in freedom for women, and whilst many battles have been won in the past century, there is still a long way for society to move until women enjoy the levels of freedom that they should be able to. I am not afraid to use my body as well as my brain to deliver important messages." In 2014, Bateman commissioned and posed nude for a life-size portrait by Anthony Connolly, which subsequently appeared in the Mall Galleries. Bateman said that the purpose of the painting was to ask questions about the sexualisation of women in modern society. In June 2018, Bateman attended the Gonville and Caius College end of term supervisor dinner wearing a see through body suit, with the words "my body my choice" written on her body. Bateman is an advocate of the recognition by economists of the economic value of the sex trade and the right of women to earn their living by prostitution. In July 2018, Bateman posted a video on Twitter in which she appeared naked and discussed inequality in economics.
Brexit and protest
Bateman is a frequent critic of Brexit, arguing that "Brexit leaves Britain naked", and that leaving the EU would hurt low-income families, damage British scientific research, would reduce trade and investment, and would place freedom for the nation state ahead of freedom for the individual. In 2016, Bateman attended a Cambridge University Faculty of Economics meeting naked, as a protest against Brexit. She had the words "Brexit leaves Britain naked" written across her torso. On 14 January 2019, Bateman delivered an hour-long lecture against Brexit at the Cambridge Junction while naked, then asked the audience to sign her body as a petition. She was subsequently invited to appear on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4, in which she also stripped naked. This led to a naked appearance on Good Morning Britain, although her body was pixelated before broadcast.
Media
Bateman has written regular economics commentary for Unherd, Bloomberg View and CapX, has contributed articles to The Guardian, Times Higher Education, The Conversation and The Telegraph and has appeared on a number of BBC Radio 4 programmes.
Personal life
Bateman is married to James Bateman, who works for an asset management company. They met at Cambridge University.
Books
Bateman, Victoria. Markets and growth in early modern Europe. Routledge
